A/N: This will be the first ever fanfic I'm posting here! Please be kind, and reviews + any advice are always greatly appreciated.
This fic is mostly ItaSaku, although I haven't quite decided how it'll turnout yet. This is a short chapter, more of an introduction than anything, but I will be working on updating consistently.
Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. Enjoy!

Chapter 1 - The Plan

What a nice, peaceful day. I could just doze off right here.

And what balmy weather too! Summers so pleasantly humid were a rare occurrence in Konoha, and Sakura was enjoying herself at her favourite sweet shop in the village. She finished the last of the ice-cream in her hand and scooted down lower in her chair. The awning above the outside portion of the café provided cool shade from the harsh sun. Sakura felt more content than she had been in a while.

Nothing could ruin this kind of relaxation, she thought, as her eyes started to slide shut. She was drifting off slowly, before…

"Sakura, you are a damned stupid girl."

Sakura audibly groaned. That sure did it.

She turned around, spotting her obnoxious blonde friend. Sakura growled. Only Ino could jolt her awake like that. Noticing her loud stomping and concentrated look, it was clear to Sakura that Ino had a mission.

She sighed. Now she was obligated to ask why she was such a "damned stupid girl." How drab.

"What's gotten into you?" Ino interjected, before she had a chance to even open her mouth.

Sakura knew how these sort of things usually went with Ino. Ino would be mad for one reason or another, she would question Sakura endlessly before finding the answer that she was looking for, and then after beating around the bush, she would very well tell her what was on her mind. Well, Sakura wasn't in the mood for these games now, especially not after being woken up so abruptly.

"Get to the point, Ino," she said tiredly, "what have I done wrong this time?"

The blonde huffed. "What have you done wrong?" she repeated, throwing her hands up. "WHAT have you done wrong?"

"Yes, idiot, that's what I said. Stop being so dramatic and answer my damn question."

Ino hissed, but plopped down into the chair opposite her friend anyways. "You're chasing after Sasuke-kun. And making yourself look like a total dumb-ass!" She screeched. Sakura started rubbing her temples. "You wanna know what I had to hear today? Shikamaru was talking about you outside the Hokage's office." The pink-haired girl perked up at this, now listening intently.

"He said that your flirting with Sasuke-kun is getting annoying. If even that lazy idiot can tell that you like him, you're being way too obvious."

Sakura reddened slightly, something that did not go unnoticed by her companion. "That's none of your business, pig."

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger." She threw her hands up innocently. "I'm just worried you'll screw up your chance with that Uchiha hunk!"

"Please keep your voice down," Sakura pleaded, eyes wide, but was wholly ignored and Ino continued.

"Girls need to be discrete when chasing a man! It'll turn him on waaay more than just blindly throwing yourself at him!" Ino drawled dramatically. "And I know how desperate you are around that Uchiha!"

"And why are you so confident about this, pig? I'm considering a serious relationship with the guy, meanwhile all you have is your one night stands."

"I'm saying this because of my one night stands. I know what guys like to hear, to feel. I know what'll make a man go crazy, have you ever thought about that?" The pink haired girl begrudgingly agreed that guys did find Ino irresistible when she wanted them to. She thought back to her friend's countless conquests.

"And, at this point I'm sure you'll take what you can get from Sasuke."

He was quite cold towards her, and Sakura admitted she had no clue of how to do get into any kind of relationship with the man, let alone a serious one. Although she was quite sure that she and her friend had very different definitions of the word "serious".

Sakura was sure Ino had some kind of plan brewing, and so finally asked for the blonde's help. She knew that this was why Ino had come to her in the first place as her friend smiled widely.

Sakura suddenly got nervous.

"I know exactly what you have to do to get dear Sasuke-kun wrapped around your finger!"

"I feel stupid."

Ino scoffed. "Ridiculous. You haven't even done anything yet."

"I just… I feel stupid." The blonde placed her hand on Sakura's shoulder in a comforting manner as they walked side by side. "Where did this shy, über virgin Sakura come from?" Ino cried. "I miss the old you. You know, the Sakura that totally banged the stud Hyuuga Neji? Where did she go?"

Always so dramatic. Sakura rolled her eyes. "That was a one time thing, pig. It was over a year ago, too."

"So? I would give up sleeping around if I ever had a shot with Neji-kun." Yeah, right. "It still happened, forehead! Embrace it! Let it give you confidence!" Sakura slowly started tuning out her loud friend as she started babbling about male endowment and whatnot.
Why did I think this would be a good idea? She thought back to what her and Ino had spent the afternoon concocting.

The plan was simple; Sakura was to not-so discretely flirt around Sasuke's older brother, Itachi-san. She was to make Sasuke so envious of his brother, that, in Ino's words, would "make Sasuke-kun take you right then and there!" After each of Itachi's anbu missions, the two would go out for a drink, apparently the perfect setting for her to make Sasuke jealous.

Simple, right?

Wrong. Itachi was not only in the anbu black-ops, but also a genius captain. That, along with the fact that he was 5 years older made him very intimidating. Sure, he was gorgeous, but Sakura was scared she would only make a damn fool of herself. She began gnawing on her bottom lip.

So many things could go wrong! She could make herself out to be even more desperate than before, or even worse, Sasuke would see straight through her plan. What a nightmare, thought Sakura. This was the worst idea we've ever had.

She combed her hands through her neat hair in an attempt to calm herself. Alongside helping her brew this plan, Ino had also done Sakura up to boost her confidence. Sakura peered down her shimmery black dress, noticing how long her legs looked in the heels her friend had forced her in. Her shorter pink hair was curled outwards slightly, and she had applied some dark makeup that made her bright green eyes pop. Sakura's dress came down mid-thigh, the sleeves long, fitting her body like a glove. She did admit she felt really good, and was grateful that Ino had convinced her to get dressed up for the occasion.

Even after getting beautified, Sakura still wasn't comfortable, and as the girls were nearing the local bar, she couldn't help feeling nervous about the situation. She focussed back on what Ino was saying to ease her nerves.

"-and that's why it's necessary to eat oranges before sleeping with a guy!" Ino finished dramatically as Sakura started listening again. She stifled a groan. How the hell did her friend manage to go through so many topics so quickly?

She looked around, noticing how far they had walked after zoning out. It was already nearing 11 at night, after scheming for a good few hours in Ino's apartment. They were now right in front of the bar the Uchihas frequented, the dark street illuminated from the brightly lit establishment. Sakura peered in through the windows, and could just make out the brothers sitting side by side on barstools facing away from where she was looking.

Her stomach flopped. There was no way she could actually go through with this. Ino saw her friend's expression quickly change to fear, and knew immediately she was having second thoughts. She slapped her on the back with a large grin.

"Alright, forehead, get on in there!"